Gu Susu stood at the top of the stairs, realizing how dishevelled she was. She figured Xiao Lin must be waiting outside the main door, showing consideration for her dignity by not entering.
She turned back, hurried to the sofa, and bent down to pick up all her clothes. She put them on haphazardly and tidied her hair. Then, she said to Xiao Mei, "Alright, please take good care of Xiao Xingxing for me. I'll come back to pick him up."
Gu Susu picked up her bag, ready to leave. But after a few steps, she turned back to ask Xiao Mei, "Can Chen Ma persuade Qin Tianyi to give the child back to me?"
Xiao Mei didn't know how to answer her, so she just nodded and said, "Yes, Young Master usually listens to Chen Ma's advice."
"Mm, yes, I know Chen Ma's words still carry weight," Gu Susu said as she continued walking out of the villa.
Qin Tianyi returned to his room on the second floor and turned on the shower in the bathroom, letting the cold water cascade over him.
He repeatedly replayed what he had just done. It was enough that he didn't let her take Xiao Xingxing away, but why did he have to treat her like that!
She was right; legally, he had no right to dictate who she was with anymore!
Her pleas seemed to echo in his ears. He was so despicable for bullying her like this.
Qin Tianyi punched the bathroom wall fiercely, letting the blood from his knuckles stream down, as if his heart were bleeding the same way.
...
Yang Sijie had been waiting in his car. Suddenly, he saw Gu Susu emerge as if she had lost her soul. He didn't see Xiao Xingxing beside her, which struck him as odd.
Gu Susu walked with a numb expression, not even noticing that Yang Sijie's car was still parked there.
As she passed by his car, Yang Sijie sensed something was wrong and immediately got out to stop her. "Susu, what's wrong? Where's Xiao Xingxing? You didn't pick him up?"
Seeing Yang Sijie, Gu Susu's eyes were vacant. "He wouldn't let me take the child. He's taken away my custody rights."
Yang Sijie then noticed her clothes were dishevelled, completely different from when she had left. He pulled her into the car. "Get in first. Tell me what happened in the car."
Gu Susu numbly let Yang Sijie help her into the car. She sat in the passenger seat, her gaze still blank.
When Yang Sijie reached to buckle her seatbelt, he noticed kiss marks on her neck, extending to her collar. He realized what had happened. "Your ex-husband is home. Which bastard did this to you?"
Gu Susu simply pulled her jacket tighter. The tears she had held back for so long finally broke free and flowed uncontrollably.
She didn't understand what she had done wrong.
All she wanted was to be self-reliant, find a stable job, provide a secure environment for her child, and watch him grow. She had never asked for anything more.
Her life had always been like a sprinkle of sugar from heaven, always accompanied by immense pain and bitterness.
She couldn't understand why, after being beaten down by reality to the point of having only a sliver of hope left, it was still so cruel to try and achieve it.
Gu Susu didn't need to answer. Yang Sijie felt as if every tear she shed was striking his heart.
"Bastard, I'm going to settle this with him right now!" Yang Sijie said, pushing open the car door to rush out, wishing he could just confront Qin Tianyi and land a few punches!
Gu Susu hastily grabbed him, not wanting to end up in court with Qin Tianyi fighting for Xiao Xingxing's custody over something unfounded.
"Sijie Gege, no, don't go!" Gu Susu held onto him tightly with both hands. "He was in the hospital for too long. He must be in a bad mood since he just got discharged, which is why he's like this."
Yang Sijie closed the car door again, smiling helplessly. "Are you out of your mind? He treated you like this, and you're still defending him!"
"I'm not defending him. His temper has always been like this..."
"What temper? I think his temper has been spoiled by your weakness! You could call the police right now, accuse him of assault, accuse him of..."
"Stop, Sijie Gege, please, I beg you, don't say any more. My heart is hurting so much, and I'm so confused." Gu Susu's tears increased as she spoke, and she began to sob uncontrollably.
She didn't know how things had escalated to this point. Qin Tianyi's misunderstanding of her was something that couldn't be washed away even by the Yellow River. And could she even get her child back?
Yang Sijie stopped speaking. He handed her a tissue and looked out the window, letting her cry her heart out without watching her.
Gu Susu didn't know how long she cried. Only when her tears had almost dried up did she stop. She wiped her eyes and said softly, "Take me home."
Yang Sijie suddenly put an arm around her shoulder, letting her rest her head on his. His voice was hoarse. "It's all my fault, my fault. I should have come back sooner, taken you away from the orphanage, away from here. Otherwise, you wouldn't have had to bear so much pain alone."
Leaning against him, Gu Susu seemed to find the warmth she had as a child. She asked softly, "Sijie Gege, how can this be your fault? It must have been difficult for you abroad all these years. Have you been well? Have you suffered or been tired?"
Tears welled up in Yang Sijie's eyes, but they were tears Gu Susu couldn't see.
"No, when I went abroad, it was like falling into a jar of honey," Yang Sijie said with a cheerful tone. "I ate chocolate cakes that we couldn't even dream of back then. I used to eat a whole cake every day, but I'd only eat half and secretly save the other half, thinking I'd mail it to you once I had a big box."
Gu Susu also managed a tearful smile. "Wow, that sounds so happy."
"But later, I saved up a lot, only to find that the ones at the bottom had spoiled. And fresh cakes couldn't be mailed. I couldn't bear to throw them away, so I ate all the ones I had saved for you. My stomach got upset, and I had diarrhea for a week."
Gu Susu laughed at him. "You ate so much, but you didn't become fat."
"Who knows? Maybe I'm naturally thin. But after eating too much chocolate cake, I feel like throwing up whenever I see cake now. I absolutely won't touch cake anymore."
Gu Susu burst out laughing. "I told you long ago not to be so greedy. Now you know the severe consequences of gluttony."
"You nagging little gossip, I know. I haven't been greedy since."
Gu Susu retorted like she did when they were children, "You're the gossip."
Back at the orphanage, he had given her several nicknames, like crybaby, little gossip, snot-nose... Each time, she'd be furious.
Yang Sijie laughed heartily.
Gu Susu asked him again, "You must have had many interesting experiences abroad these past few years. Tell me a few, so I can be happy for you too."
Yang Sijie thought for a moment and told her a few very funny stories, making Gu Susu's stomach ache from laughing.
Her extremely sad mood from earlier improved considerably.
Yang Sijie saw that it was about time. "You're still the same, crying and laughing like a puppy. Are you feeling better? I'll take you home to rest."